Exploring, Studying Cuba’s Gulf of Mexico

September 1, 2007 by Ocean Doctor · 1 Comment

Proyecto Costa Noroccidental research team aboard Cuban research vessel Boca del Toro, second expedition

The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies (HRI) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and the University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research (CIM) [Centro de Investigaciones Marinas] are leading a collaborative effort, Proyecto Costa Noroccidental [Project of the Northwest Coast], a comprehensive multi-year research and conservation program for Cuba’s Gulf of Mexico coast. Dr. David E. Guggenheim, president of 1planet1ocean, is a member of HRI’s Advisory Council and also serves as HRI’s Cuba Programs Manager and is co-principal investigator of the project with Dr. Gaspar González Sansón of CIM. Read more

Subscribe to the 1planet1ocean RSS feed.

Filed Under: Cuba's Gulf of Mexico, Featured, Projects & Expeditions
Tagged: Caribbean, centro de investigaciones, CIM, cim center, conservation, conservation policies, coral, corals, Cuba, cuba program, cuba programs, cuban institutions, David E. Guggenheim, ecosystem, ecosystems, embargo, expedition, fish, fishing, gaspar gonzález, Guanahacabibes, guggenheim, gulf of mexico, Havana, hri, investigaciones marinas, marcuba, marine habitats, Northwest Cuba, northwestern Cuba, sea turtle, shark, the Gulf, United States, university of havana

Esperanza Now at Zhemchug Canyon, Largest Underwater Canyon in the World

August 3, 2007 by Ocean Doctor · Leave a Comment

The Esperanza crew had an opportunity for a brief shore leave on St. Paul Island on Friday (August 3) before steaming north to Zhemchug Canyon. On St. Paul, they visited a fur seal rookery. Populations of fur seals are down dramatically.
(Photo by David E. Guggenheim)

Continued favorable weather and few mechanical problems means that the team aboard Esperanza has been able to complete 14 manned submersible dives at Pribilof Canyon. On Saturday (August 4), Esperanza arrived at Zhemchug Canyon to explore this, the largest undersea canyon in the world, much larger than the Grand Canyon. Within the first few minutes of the deepest ROV dive yet, more than 3,000 feet down, the team discovered corals, including pink “bubblegum” corals along with other soft corals.

Earlier, during the final dives at Pribilof Canyon, the team documented numerous corals, but also evidence of extensive trawling damage in the area. Read David Guggenheim’s account in his OceanDoctor blog. Read more